On Easter weekend Trevor and I went out on a date to RGE RD. We've have been wanting to go for quite a while, and we've heard good things from friends, so we were excited to finally give it a try.

RGE RD is a locally focused and their strong relationship with farmers and local producers is obvious on the menu. The restaurant has good atmosphere. Kind of a rustic/industrial antique kind of vibe that goes great with their concept. Our server was really friendly and had good personality. Overall the whole package was great and we were really happy with our experience there.

We arrived early for our reservation, so we grabbed a couple of stools beside the bar and ordered a cocktail. Trevor tried the Old Fashioned 135 - it was great and convinced us that we need to pick up some bitters and tasty whisky so we can make them at home. I had the Labrador Tea, a gin cocktail with earl grey syrup. Two things I love! It was very tasty and a great start to our evening at RGE RD.

When we got to our table we perused the menu (and a lot of it sounded delicious). We decided to go with the 'Questionable Bits' to start (a daily special that could be any cut of meat). The special that day was pork liver mousse with grilled sourdough and pear compote. The liver was nice and smooth and I liked the pears but I felt like the dish could have used a bit of acid. Some bread & butter quick pickles would have been perfect.

I had the Nature's Green Acres Pig Roast. It was basically a pork extravaganza with pork loin, pork belly, pork confit wrapped in bacon and tartiflette (a hash of potato & lardons) served with a poached apple and some crisp apple slaw. Of course pork and apple are a natural pairing, but I loved the way RGE RD had a hint of vanilla in the poached apple and that they included the slaw for some texture variation. Everything was really tasty and I finished off every little bit on my plate. Usually I’m not even that into pork!

Trevor had the Grilled Beef and the cut of the day was a strip loin. It was served over rosemary mashed potatoes with some roasted carrots. It came with a ragout of beef and mushrooms in a little pot on the side to be poured over everything. The strip loin was tender, flavourful and perfectly cooked. I really liked the ragout as well and the rosemary mashed potatoes inspired Trev’s mashed potatoes for Easter dinner – that’s how good they were.

Even though we were both very full we had to order a dessert to share. We picked the S’more. It was soooo good! It had homemade chocolate marshmallow, dark chocolate ganache, graham cracker cake and toasted meringue topped with some crunchy sweet graham cracker bits. It was such a fun dessert – who doesn’t love s’mores? But this was the extra-fancy adult version…yum.

We had a great time and the food was awesome. I would totally recommend booking yourself a reservation at RGE RD – I’m glad we finally did!

PS: I'm going to be updating the format of my blog, so I'll be working on that for the next little while. I'm super excited to share the new look! Watch for it soon :)

Messy Little Cook

Test

Hi, I'm Courtenay. I truly am the 'Messy Little Cook' - there's sure to be a mountain of dirty dishes and flour all over the place whenever I'm playing in the kitchen. I also love writing about restaurants, other foodie stuff and travel (when I get the chance).

Looking for something?

To Follow me on Pinterest or Instagram click on the icons below:

Two little ballerinas 💕 #mayowskifamily

Walking my big girl to the school bus ☀️#beautifulfallmorning #mayowskifamily

Camping in Banff for the long weekend 💕 We played, paddleboarded, hiked to the tea house, ate ice cream, roasted marshmallows and had a great time together as a family. #mayowskifamilycamping #campingwithkids #banffnationalpark #getoutside #mayowskifamily
In that last video of Hannah, the first time (off camera) she told me she loved s'mores more than me 🥺 she's working on being funny - and it actually is pretty funny

Huge THANKS to @bagelbar.yeg and @derosebrosmeats for the bagels, cream cheese, sandwiches and tots!! I won their giveaway earlier this summer and picked it up today to share with my team at work 🤤🤤🤤 everything was thoroughly enjoyed 👍

Happy Grade 1 Hannah! #firstdayofschool #yegkids #mayowskifamily

The last camping adventure of the year has begun. Tonight we're hanging out under the romantic lights of...the Bass Pro shop parking lot and listening to the soothing sounds of QE2 traffic 🙃 #parkinglotcamping #mayowskifamily

Today is our 10th anniversary ♥️ So I'm sharing 10 of my memories from our wedding day. A walk down memory lane, August 21, 2009
1) So unbelievably happy to married to this guy 😍
2) Getting ready with our moms, my sister and future sister-in-law. It felt like the greatest game of dress-up ever. I loved my wedding dress and veil
3) Walking down the aisle with my parents. I wish I could go back in time to slow this moment down. I could feel their love, support and pride
4) Seeing Trevor waiting for me at the end of the aisle. My heart was filled with butterflies, but I couldn't wait to be there with him
5) Crying while saying my vows. I knew I would cry - I'm surprised I actually got through it
6) You may kiss the bride! I made Trev practice "the kiss" before the wedding 😘
7) So greatful for our family and friends who celebrated with us
8) We slipped into the Winspear auditorium for a few photos before the reception. It felt glamorous and special to stand on the stage under the lights. While Kelsy was taking our photos the man tuning the organ was also snapping our pic
9) I surprised Trevor with an extra wedding cake (chocolate mint flavor) to apologize for my bridezilla moment when I told him that was not an acceptable wedding cake flavor 😂 everyone loved the chocolate mint cake
10) Hanging out in downtown Edmonton taking pictures with my favorite people. Everyone else was good at the sexy/serious face...me, not so much, haha. I just couldn't hide my huge smile.
Happy anniversary Trevor, I love you forever ♥️ 📸@kelsynielson @edmontonfamilyphotographer
#tenthanniversary #weddingmemories #yegweddings #husbandandwife #10yearslater #mayowskifamily

Trev made an excellent dinner of mussels in wine with homemade mayo and oven fries. The kids devoured everything. My feeding-therapist heart was glowing with pride as the kids gobbled down the mussels and asked for more (even though this kind of thing doesn't happen all the time) #adventurouseaters #dadmadedinner #foodiekids

We're really good at family pictures 🤦#mayowskifamily

Checking out the playground Trev used to play on when he was a kid, feeding Rose the Squirrel (as named by the kids) and one last popsicle before the long drive home #mayowskifamily

More beach and s'mores please! #campingincanada #mayowskifamily

Nate was so excited to take me for a ride on the board, he was shouting take my picture, it's my first paddle!
Once the kiddos were asleep Trev and I got to enjoy a sunset walk along the lake
#mayowskifamily

Family camping trip to Kimball Lake. The mornings were cool, but the afternoons were warm enough to enjoy the beautiful beach. My nature kids loved it #mayowskifamily